Crackfest: Jashin Edition
by Shi-Toyu
Summary: Jashin has a daughter who comes to the mortal world at the same time that Naruto leaves Konoha. KakashixOC NarutoxSasuke KakuzuxHidan Sorry, I suck at summaries.
1. P 1

Hey, this is my first publication!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Summery: Jashin-sama has had a daughter. What happens when she comes to the land of mortals at the same time as Naruto ggets fed up and leaves the village? What happens if they team up and encounter the incomplete cell 7 later on when Naruto is a lot stronger? And why is Iruka in the hospital?!

Please R&R!

"talking"

'tongue of the gods'

'**Kyuubi speaking to Naruto**'

_flashback or thoughts_

Prologue 1

"Fuck yeah!"

Hidan dashed away from the Jashin-sama alter to spread the good news, weapons sticking out of him every which way. He burst into the Akatsuki's living room, scaring the crap out of Deidara, who was still finding it difficult to adjust to Hidan's immortality. The others just looked up lazily, mildly interested.

"What's this, Hidan? It's unlike you to interrupt one of your own rituals. Finally realized that money is more powerful than that idiot god of yours?"

Instead of exploding as he usually would at such a comment, Hidan surprised everyone by laughing.

"Nothing you say can make me mad today, Zu-chan!"

He continued his slightly insane laughter as the rest of the Akatsuki just stared at him dumbfounded. Sasori stood and approached him slowly.

"Are you alright, Hidan? Did something happen? Maybe you hit your head?"

Before Sasori could react, Hidan had lifted the red head into the air and spun him around a couple times.

"Alright? I'm more than alright! This day shall go down in the history of all Jashin-sama believers!" A sense of dread filled the Akatsuki members. "Jashin-sama has had a daughter! Today is the day that Jashinsri Kin has been born!" Hidan grabbed Kakuzu by the shoulders and pulled the bewildered man into a kiss. "I love you, Zu-chan! Let's follow Jashin-sama's divine example!"


	2. p 2

"Martal speak"

'God speak'

"**Kyuubi**"

Prologue 2

The black haired girl drummed her fingers boredly against the arm of the big, plush chair that she sat in. She was in her father's office, waiting for him to return from a meeting with several other gods. The desk was piled high with unfinished paperwork, reports on who wasn't making enough sacrifices, and other things that Kin wasn't interested in at all. She glanced around at the walls, which were covered in all sorts of strange and abnormal things. There was only one space on the wall behind her father's desk that was not totally covered with random nicnacs and what not. This space was reserved for the followers that her father held highest, above all the others. She noticed a new picture there.

It was of a striking man with violet eyes and silver hair. His skin was a pale ivory and looked extremely smooth. The inscription on the little plaque that was attached to the picture frame read 'Hidan: Guardian' Kin rolled her eyes. What was her father up to now?

She was interrupted from her thoughts by the doors swinging open, allowing the stench of blood and rotting corpses that accompanied her father everywhere at all times to permeate throughout the office. Her father was not a large man by the standards of a god. He stood just over six feet and was quite thin. But, the other gods respected him because of the aura of power and strength he gave off without even trying. He could easily bring another god to their knees if the fancy struck him. This, however, didn't 

seem to matter to him. He crossed the room in only a few strides to sit heavily in the chair behind his desk, dropping his mask now that it was just the two of them.

'Otou-san.'

Kin's voice was quiet, but the same power exuded by her father could be heard within it. She, too, though still young by their standards, was well respected among the gods. This was on the account that she had inherited the power of both her mother and her father.

'What is it my daughter? You know that you have only to ask and all that is within my power is yours.'

She nodded her head in silent thanks.

'I grow restless here. I wish to go to the land of mortals. They intrigue me.'

Her father heaved a sigh and stood, crossing the room to one of the many shelves that covered the walls. It took him only a couple of seconds to find what he was looking for. When he turned back around, a black velvet box was in his hands.

'I had thought this day would be coming soon. I was around your age when I first went to the land of the mortals. I will by no means attempt to stop you. However, I request that you take this.'

He held the box out to her, which she took. Removing the lid, she saw what looked like a blood red pearl. She gasped, knowing what it really was.

'A summoning crystal? What for? These are too rare for you to just give one to me for sentimental values.'

'That is true, Kin. Did you notice the new picture on my wall of favorites while you were waiting for me?' Kin nodded. 'Then trust you read the caption. He is the Guardian, YOUR Guardian. I have assigned him to come to you if you summon him. That is why I gave you the crystal. Humans are usually no trouble for gods, but there are some humans who can do even us damage. I do not wish to see you hurt. Use him if you need to.'

'I will, father. Thank you.'

'Be careful, Kin.'

So, Kin left the office of her father, Jashin-sama.


	3. p 3

Okay, hey again! I know I haven't updated in a while, but I plan to make up for that!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N: This chapter was actually written by a super helpful friend of mine. Thank you Ame-chan! I SUCK at angst!

Prologue 3

Naruto was sitting at the top of the Hokage monument, starring into the distance. He had promised himself he would never give up or get discouraged. He had to keep moving forward until he was able to make the people of Konoha acknowledge him. That was a promise easier made than kept.

All his life, he had been excluded from everything. Adults would say terrible things about him and ignore him. Children would make fun of him and would never let him play with them. He'd thought things would change when he became a ninja. He'd thought things had changed when Iruka gave him his forehead protector.

The reality was that almost nothing changed. No matter how much or how hard he trained, everyone still made fun of him and called him weak. They said he could never be more than a genin because he was just a stupid fox. Even his own team mates looked down on him as useless, even after he'd brought Sasuke back.

They were crushing him, tearing his heart apart piece by piece, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could take it. He loved Konoha and its people, even though they despised him, but it was time to leave. He would go out into the world and prove them all wrong. He would become strong.

Naruto stood and quickly made his way to the town gate. He hesitated at the threshold, remembering all the time he had spent in this place, remembering all the people he knew. But he knew no matter how much it hurt him to leave, it would hurt even more to remain. With this, he stepped out of the village and walked away. He didn't look back, but as he reached the place that the town would be out of sight, a single tear rolled down his cheek.


	4. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!! KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN!!

A/N: Hey! Thanks for joining us again! Here's the first ACTUAL chapter! le gasp Shocking, I know. But this IS a crackfest. so the rules don't apply here. Please Comment.

'Tongue of the Gods'

"Tongue of Mortals"

Chapter 1

Disgusting.

That was the only word Kin could think of to describe the scene before her.

She had been in the world of mortals for several days before the sounds of a battle reached her. She had immediately headed towards the source of the sounds. Now she stood just out of sight, debating over what she should do.

There was a rather feminine male with black hair who reminded her a bit too much of a snake fighting what appeared to be a blond haired child. The child was blood and barely conscious and, by the looks of it, it was more of a beating than an actual fight.

Kin liked children. She did not like snakes. However, as a goddess, she was not supposed to meddle in the affairs of mortals. Then again, she had never really done much that she was supposed to.

Her choice was clear.

--

"This is for taking my Sasuke-kun away from me! My perfect body!"

Orochimaru flashed a complex series of hand signs before sending a blast of chakra at the battered Naruto, knowing he couldn't dodge.

When the dust cleared, he was surprised not to see Naruto's fresh corpse on the ground, or any sing of the boy at all.

"You one…deformed, I think?..snake-girl-thing…"

Orochimaru whipped around to see a girl about 22 or so standing in front of Naruto's unconscious form. She wore simple black tank top and black shorts. A ponytail kept her glistening, waist-length black hair out of her piercing orange eyes. All together it made a very unique image. Almost lazily, she glanced over her shoulder at Naruto.

"Heal boy later. After beat you. Unless you leave now, spare you from embarrassing defeat."

Orochimaru paused, confused by her unusual language. Was she trying to make fun of him or was she just stupid? Ultimately, it didn't matter to him.

"Tell me, girl, do you even know who you are about to fight?"

Several moments passed while the girl seemed to try to decipher what he was saying before she shook her head.

"It no matter."

"Perhaps you wouldn't be so confident of you knew that I was Orochimaru, one of the Three Great Sannin!"

"Who? I not know 'Great Sannin'. We fight now."

She instantly disappeared from both Orochimaru's sight and senses only to appear moments later behind his back.

"Bye-bye now."

--

Kin sighed as the 'Orochimaru' disappeared in a puff of smoke. Mortals.

She did not have time to dwell on this as she could sense more mortals headed her way. She didn't know if they were friend or foe, but she wasn't gonna hang around to find out.

Lifting the boy, she ran from the clearing at a speed no mortal could track, let alone keep up with. Moments later she stopped, at least 100 miles from where she had started. She lay the boy down gently on the ground to examine his wounds. What she saw didn't make her happy.

Small cuts covered his body from head to toe with a number of deep gashes here and there. A large hole in his stomach insured that most of his insides were shredded, if not gone all together. Kin wondered how the boy had been able to remain standing. Even a highly skilled medic ninja would have given the boy up for dead.

But Kin wasn't a highly skilled medic ninja, she was a goddess.

She had the power to save the boy, but she would drain all of her Holy Magic in doing so, leaving her with only her chakra to fight off any enemies that should appear. Gritting her teeth, she prepared to perform the magic. After all, she could stand to give her chakra a bit of a workout.

'Goddess's Blessing!'

The Holy Magic flowed out of her and into the boy, healing his wounds. She sat back, panting, as she felt the effects of the spell take their toll on her.

In truth, it was only thanks to her mother that she had the chakra that kept her from feeling totally naked without her Holy Magic. Most gods did not have anything other than Holy Magic. Now, without her magic, she couldn't even run at incredibly fast speeds, something even the lowest gods and goddesses could do.

Sighing, she picked up the boy and began looking for a cave. Luck was on her side, as always, and she found one quite quickly.

Laying the boy down again, she leaned against the cave wall. It would be at least several weeks before she was able to recover all of her chakra again. This, however, turned out to be a good thing.

Without her Holy Magic boosting her power, Kin was able to sense the immense chakra that lay sealed inside the boy. She recognized the chakra, the nine-tailed fox demon. He had visited her mother often.

This child was interesting indeed.


	5. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: As much as I want to. I still don't own Naruto.

A/N: So, here's the second chapter. And nobodies even commented on chapter one yet. T.T sigh Well, if anyone reads this, the chapters are going to get longer and be more interesting soon. We're almost past the preliminary stuff. Cool, huh?

"Tongue of Mortals"

'Tongue of Gods'

Chapter 2

Glorious warmth enveloped Naruto and he snuggled closer to the fur that surrounded him, not wanting to open his eyes.

Suddenly, the memories of his fight with Orochimaru came slamming back into his brain. The last thing he remembered was seeing a huge blast of chakra flying towards him.

He suddenly shot into a sitting position and looked around wildly, having to restrain a yelp of surprise. Foxes lay encircling him as a small fire crackled nearby.

"Ah, you unsleep. That good. I beginning to…how you say…worry? I think that it."

"Who are you? Why am I here? What's with the foxes? Why are you talking weird?!"

His questions seemed to confuse the girl, who had come from seemingly nowhere. She held up her hands as she sat by the fire.

"I no good at mortal tongue. Speak slow."

This really confused Naruto.

"Mortal tongue?"

The girl nodded.

"I goddess. You mortal. I speak Tongue of Gods. You speak Tongue of Mortals."

Great. He was stuck in a cave with a psycho chick.

"Really? So you're a goddess? Can you show me, like, a miracle or something?"

"You lift up shirt. Look at stomach. Big hole there, much blood. I heal. There your miracle."

Now that she mentioned it, Orochimaru HAD thrust his entire arm through his stomach, hadn't he?

He'd given himself up for dead the moment it happened. So, this girl had saved his life?

"Why? Why did you save me? If I'm not strong enough to be Hokage or protect those I care about, I shouldn't even be alive!"

"I not sure what 'Hokage' is, but I save you because you interesting. Glad, too. For Kyuubi friend of Mother. Her favorite."

Naruto drew back a bit, as if burned.

"How did you know about the Kyuubi?!"

"I sense him. He sealed in you. Think seal was affected by hole in stomach and Holy Magic. Power more free now."

"What?!"

Naruto began to panic, something the girl did not miss.

"Be calm. Panic help nothing."

"How can I be calm!? The Kyuubi's gonna break out and kill a bunch of people!"

"I no say that! Seal weak. If merge with Kyuubi, he no get out and you speak Tongue of Gods and other things. I merge you when power back and teach you at price?"

"What price?"

"Teach Tongue of Mortals and let travel with you."


	6. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

(Time Skip: 2 years later in around about that same general area.)

"Do we help them?"

The black haired girl looked over at the blonde boy, waiting to see what he wanted to do.

Unlike Kin, Naruto had changed a lot in the past two years. His hair was still the same blinding blond, but his bangs were long now and swept to the side to cover his one purple eye. It had changed colors when Kin had merged him with the Kyuubi. At first, Naruto had panicked at the change in his appearance, but now he kind of liked it. His canines were also slightly more prominent now, almost making him look like a vampire, but not quite.

He no longer wore that obnoxious orange jumpsuit, instead opting for an outfit that all but matched what most of the Akatsuki wore under their cloaks. The effect was rather stunning. The shirt clung to his abs, which had been wonderfully sculpted by Kin's training. All in all, he was something fangirls would die for.

But back to what we were previously discussing.

Kin and Naruto were currently crouching in the undergrowth, watching five ninjas fighting.

Two wore black cloaks with red clouds and were assumed to be Akatsuki. The blue skinned one with a large sword strapped to his back had to be Kisame, meaning the other one was more than likely Itachi.

The three ninjas that were left were harder to identify. They all wore headbands proclaiming to be of the Konoha village, but they were heavily shrouded as to hide their features.

"If I ever want to go back to the village, I can't just sit by while Konoha ninja are in danger. Besides, it looks like they need the help."

This was true. The three Konoha ninja were doing VERY poorly against the two S-class criminals.

Kin nodded but held Naruto back as he moved to reveal himself, some things never changed.

"Wait. I'll go out first and you come out second, surprising them from the back while I have them…distracted?"

Naruto nodded to say both that he agreed to the plan and that she had the right word and began creeping away, using all of Kin's training to hide his presence.

Slowly counting to ten so Naruto could get into position, Kin jumped out of the undergrowth to land in the middle of the battle field. Both sides stopped fighting as they each wondered if she was there to help the enemy.

Totally ignoring the two Akatsuki members, she turned to look at the three Konoha ninja.

"Have you sustained any life threatening injuries? If so, please wait until I am able to heal you. This shouldn't take long."

"What was that, girlie? Don't go underestimating us!"

Kisame charged at the girl, swinging his sword with enough force to take down a bull elephant.

Having heard all about his fighting style from Naruto, Kin wrapped a layer of Holy Magic around her hands and caught the sword, reinforcing the rest of her body with more Holy Magic in order to take the shock. Seeing the shark man's bewildered face, she couldn't help but taunt him a little.

"You're Kisame, yes? I've heard about you, but I thought you'd be stronger than this. To tell you the truth, I'm a bit disappointed."

Kisame growled and pulled down on Samehada, hoping to turn her hands into mincemeat. His plan, however, didn't work. The scales slid smoothly over Kin's strengthened skin, not leaving even the smallest scratch. The ground crumbled as the sword slammed into it, yet the girl still stood there unfazed and unblinking.

"B-but HOW?!"

"Simple. I am not like you."

Kin's leg came up faster than the eye could see to slam into Kisame's side. He flew into the forest, actually knocking some trees over in the process. Turning to look at Itachi, she took up a ready stance.

"Let's go."

Suddenly, a yellow streak flew out of the trees behind Itachi.

His dopple ganger disappeared in a puff of smoke as Naruto twisted around to block a kick from the real Itachi. Unfortunately, the 'real' Itachi also turned out to be a fake which disappeared as a third Itachi appeared behind Kin.

She quickly spun around, wrapping her arms around him and effectively pinning his arms to his side with her magically reinforced strength.

"Naruto!"

Pulling a katana from the pack on his back, Naruto charged. Itachi attempted to move, but was surprised when the girl's unnatural strength kept him firmly in place. As it was, Naruto would run both him and the girl through with his sword.

Not knowing that the girl was actually a goddess, it appeared to all those watching that Naruto was about to kill his teammate in order to kill Itachi.

"Naruto! No!"

The girl's concentration slipped, distracted by the shout from one of the Konoha ninjas. Itachi took the opportunity to dodge so that Naruto's blade missed the girl entirely and only sliced through his shoulder, instead of his heart.

His arm now hanging loosely at his side, Itachi managed to slip from the girl's grasp by quickly removing his cloak and retrieved Kisame before sprinting away. He knew when he was defeated and he needed to report to Leader-sama.

Back on the battle field, Kin was picking herself up off the ground, Itachi's cloak still clasped in her hands.

"He'll be back, and he'll have backup next time."

"Way to look on the bright side, Naruto."

"I knew it! You ARE Naruto!"

This brought the two ninjas' attention back to the three they had saved. Now that they had removed the shrouds, Naruto easily recognized them.

"Sakura-chan…Kakashi-sensei…Sasuke-kun…"

His mutterings brought Kin's attention back to Naruto.

"So, these three are the ones you told me about?..Interesting…"

She slowly walked around the three ninja, making them rather uncomfortable. When she was satisfied, she crossed back to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder.

'It is your choice. Lead and I shall follow.'

Naruto's one visible eye softened.

'Thank you. But I have no intention of returning to the village so soon. I'm not strong enough yet.'

'Do not be so sure. You have improved much under my teachings. Even Uchiha Itachi runs from us…Runs like a scared little girl.'

The last part drew a small smile from the blond boy who hadn't smiled since seeing his friends. Sakura, Kakashi, and Sasuke, however, were VERY confused, an understandable thing since none of them spoke the Tongue of the Gods.

Kin nodded to Naruto before moving to a tree and plopping down.

"Naruto?"

Naruto sighed before putting on a big smile, the same one he'd faked a billion times before.

"Hey, Sakura-chan! It's been a while, huh?"

He moved easily to avoid the punch she threw at him, surprising everyone, except Kin and including himself, with his speed. He hadn't thought he'd gotten THIS fast.

"You bastard! Don't you 'Hey, Sakura-chan!' me! You left without a single word! Do you have any idea how worried everyone has been?"

Naruto's grin turned into a scornful smile.

"But I bet the villagers were happy to be rid of their demon brat, weren't they?"

It was more a statement than a question and the bitterness in Naruto's voice froze Sakura's words in her throat.

"Is that why you left? Because the villagers hated the Kyuubi?!"

"No, Sasuke, that's not why I left, though that was part of it. Maybe I'll tell you someday, when I come back to the village…If I come back. I've been thinking of maybe never coming back. It's quite nice out here, you know."

Naruto, of course, didn't mean that. He would come back to the village, just not now.

He never saw Sasuke's fist coming, but he felt it when it slammed into the side of his face, knocking his back a couple steps.

"You IDIOT! 'It's quite nice out here?!' Is that enough reason for you to abandon your friends? Is that a good enough reason for Iruka-sensei to be in a coma that not even Tsunade can bring him out of?!"

Sasuke's furious eyes bored into Naruto's wide, astonished ones.

"Iruka…sensei..?"

Naruto's voice was weak and Sasuke turned away at the sound of it.

"What do you care, anyway? You're the one who left us, remember?"

Naruto cringed a bit, but didn't back down. Luckily, Kakashi stepped in before the situation escalated too much.

"When you left, Iruka was frantic with worry. It was only about a week after you left when he set out to find you himself and encountered a very pissed off Itachi. Thankfully, a group of anbu got there in time to stop Itachi from killing him, but…Tsunade thinks Itachi used the Mangekyo Sharingan on him at least three times. If she tries to bring him out of his come it'll cause severe mental retardation…or it may kill him."

The pain in Kakashi's voice was evident as Iruka had been a friend of his. Naruto, himself, felt numb.

It was his fault. If he hadn't left, Iruka wouldn't be in this condition.

Setting his jaw, he turned on his heel and stalked over to where kin lay against the tree.

'Can you heal him? If you use the spell you used on me after the fight with Orochimaru, can you heal him?'

'With that spell, I can heal anyone. But my magic will be depleted for several weeks. Also, because of the amount of magic I already had to expend here, I'll probably fall unconscious for a little while.'

'Will you do it?'

'For you, my little Kyuubi kit, for you.'

Nodding in gratitude, Naruto turned back to his former team mates.

"We will come back to Konoha, if only for Iruka-sensei's sake."

Kin stood and put a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"Well, then, shall we get going?"

"Hold on a second. We still don't know who you are."

"Ah, you're right, Sasuke-san."

She did a little bow for the group.

"My name is Kin. I travel with Naruto."

Sasuke still glared at her.

"What about a last name?"

"Patience is a virtue, Sasuke-san. It took Naruto a year to earn the knowledge of my last name. It is not something I tell people lightly."

Sasuke's glare doubled.

"Then how can we trust you?"

"I don't ask you to trust me, nor do I expect you to. I would not trust me if I were in your position. However, I WOULD trust m friend's choice in traveling companions."

The others could almost feel the tension in the air.

"He left the village."

Venom flared in Kin's eyes.

"As I understand it, so did you. At least Naruto didn't leave to join the enemy and get butt raped by a snake-girl-man-thing."

Naruto face palmed while Sakura and Kakashi were wondering if they'd heard what they thought they'd heard. Sasuke's eyes widened before forming an even deeper glare.

"I came back."

"Is Naruto not coming back?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth.

"I don't like you."

"Lots of people don't like me, Sasuke-san. I don't care about their opinions any more than I care about yours. Now, let's get going."

She turned away from Sasuke and walked over to Kakashi.

"You must be Kakashi-sensei, judging by your age. Do you mind if I call you Kakashi-kun? I think it has a nice ring to it. Anyway, would you mind leading the way to Konoha? I'm afraid I have no idea where it is."

Kakashi, though he thought his mind may have just exploded, showed no emotion other than boredom as he nodded and motioned for the others to follow as he set off towards Konohagakure.

It would take them a few days to get there, and as Kakashi thought when he saw the glare Sasuke was giving Kin, it was going to be a long few days.

A/N: **_PLEASE READ! VERY IMPORTANT!! _**

Okay, after posting this, I will be setting up 2 polls on my profile. These are very important for you to take! I really want your opinion on these things!

Also, I am always happy, grateful, and open to accepting any ideas a reader may have. So if you have any, please feel free to share. Who knows? I might dedicate a chapter, one-shot, or character to you.

Another thing, I will do commisions, so just let me know if there's anything you want me you write.

Thank you for your time.

Yours truly,

Shi Toyu


	7. Chapter 4

"Tongue of Mortals"

'Tongue of the Gods'

Disclaimer: Looks around Nope. Still don't own Naruto. Maybe next chapter...

A/N: Yeah, so you can't have two polls up at once, so I'll put up the second poll later, when this one is done. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 4

"So, umm, Kin-san, how did you wind up traveling with Naruto?"

"Please, no 'san'. Call me Kin-chan. Do you mind if I call you Sakura-chan?"

"Not at all."

"Well, I was passing through the woods when I heard the sounds of battle. When I went to check it out, I found some snake-man-girl-thing beating up some poor kid. Naturally, I went to help out. After saving the kid and beating the crap out of the guy, who turned out to be a..?"

She looked over at Naruto.

"Dopple Ganger."

"Right. That. Well, after it disappeared, I sensed several more chakras headed our way. Not knowing if they were on the boy's side or not. I just grabbed him and ran. Once I healed him and he regained consciousness, I found out he was Naruto. Finding him interesting, I decided to tag along with him. We've been travelling together ever since. That was about two years ago."

"It's true. Kin saved my life that day, and several times since then. She's also taught me some really cool new Justus. She's super smart!"

Sasuke snorted.

"I'm sure."

"Wanna go, chicken-butt? That's what your hair loons like, by the way. Did you mean to style it that way or was there some freak accident when you were younger?"

"This is almost better than Icha Icha Paradise!"

Kin's attention automatically turned from Sasuke to Kakashi, her eyes now shining in interest.

"You read Icha Icha Paradise?! Oh, yeah! I think Naruto mentioned that! I LOVE that series!"

To illustrate her point, she pulled the latest volume out of her pocket. Kakashi thought his eye was going to pop out of its socket and roll around on the ground.

"You read Icha Icha Paradise?!"

"Of course! I find it highly intriguing!"

Naruto shifted nervously.

"She's, um, kinda perverted. Like you, Kakashi-sensei, only I think she may be worse."

"Perversion isn't a disease, Naruto. I'm just a pervert; I don't have AIDS or Sasuke Syndrome or something."

"What are you insinuating?"

"Why, nothing more than that you're a whiny, emo, bitch, SasUKE-san."

BREAK!

"There it is, Konoha."

Kin placed a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile.

"It'll be fine. Not easy, but fine. Just think of Iruka."

Naruto nodded his head in determination and began walking towards the village gates. He took comfort in the fact that Kin was with him. If anything happened, she would unfailingly take his side. She'd be there with him if he had to get out of Konoha fast.

The five of them approached the gates at a walk, each, except Kin, trying to calm their nerves about how the village would react to Naruto's sudden reappearance.

They were greeted at the gates by a barking Akamaru, who nearly bowled Naruto over when he recognized his scent.

"Naruto?! Is that you?!"

Kiba, who had come to help pull his dog off the poor 'stranger', hugged Naruto tightly.

"Shit, man. It's good to have you back."

Naruto smiled, though it was a little forced, and hugged Kiba back.

"If everyone's welcome is as warm as yours it'll be good to be back."

They released each other, though Kin didn't miss the scowl that had been on Sasuke's face since Kiba ad hugged Naruto. Smirking, she leaned over so her mouth was right next to his ear.

"Jealous, SasUKE-san?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know the answer to that already."

"Hn."

Kin smirked.

One point for her.

"Kiba, Naruto, it's great that you two are happy to see each other, but we need to see the Hokage."

His face suddenly serious, Naruto nodded.

"Let's go. The sooner we do this the better."

There were no more interruptions while they were on their way to visit Tsunade, but there were plenty of mutters. Most of the villagers were silent after a glare from Sasuke, Kin, or both.

They soon arrived at the Hokage's door.

Kakashi knocked and was answered by a stern, "Who is it and what do you want?"

"It's Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke. We have Naruto with us."

The door opened faster than any of them would have thought possible. A blond woman with gigantic boobs stood in the doorway.

"Naruto?!"

"Hey, baa-chan."

"Oh, my god! Naruto!"

Tsunade hugged Naruto, tears streaming down her face as she crushed the life out of him.

"Um, Tsunade-sama? I think you're going to kill him if you don't let go."

Finally noticing that Naruto's face was progressing from red to blue, Tsunade released him.

"You fool!"

Kin pulled Naruto back just in time for him to avoid getting hit by Tsunade's chakra enhanced fist. This action brought her to the Hokage's attention.

"And you are?"

"Kin. I travelled with Naruto for most of the time he was gone."

She gave a bow of respect to Tsunade before dropping her smile for a more serious expression.

"Now, I have been informed of one Iruka-sensei who is in need of my help."

Tsunade's eyes turned sad and she bit her lip.

"Iruka, I'm afraid, is beyond anyone's help at this point."

Naruto put a hand on Kin's shoulder and smiled up at Tsunade.

"Kin can help. Trust me. I promise."

This brought a smile to Tsunade's lips and she gave a small nod. Signaling with her hand, she brought one of the ever present ANBU to her side.

"Find Jiraiya. Tell him to meet me at the hospital, it's urgent."

A quick nod from the ANBU and he was gone.

"Now, then, follow me."

The group followed quickly after Tsunade, who led them out of the Hokage tower and to the hospital. She quickly led them to Iruka's private room. He lay peacefully on the bed, as if only asleep.

Tears came to Naruto's eyes as he slowly approached the bad.

"Oh, god…I'm so sorry…"

Though Naruto whispered the words, everyone clearly heard them. Kin sighed a bit and cracked her knuckles.

"Guess it's time to rock n' roll."

Naruto moved aside as she stepped up beside Iruka's bed. After a quick scan of his condition, Kin made some calculations in her head.

"He should be awake in about an hour, maybe a bit less, maybe a bit more. Also, Naruto, I'll need a chair."

Naruto grabbed a chair that was sitting in the corner and pulled it over to her. Placing her hands on Iruka's chest, Kin closed her eyes.

'Goddess's Blessing!'

Kin felt the Holy Magic leave her in a rush as she toppled over. Thankfully, Naruto caught her and lowered her gently into the chair. Smiling slightly and barely conscious, Kin focused on Naruto.

'He'll be fine.'

'Thank you.'

And, with that, she slipped into the dark embrace of sleep.


	8. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Kin regained consiousness not thirty minutes later to find herself laying on a hopsital bed that had been brought into Iruka's room. Naruto sat in the chair she had previously occupied, holding Iruka's hand and staring worriedly at his face. The Uchiha prick leaned silently against the wall, watching the blonde. Neither noticed she was awake, but Kin didn't mind. It would give her and excellent chance to watch them.

"I'm sorry."

"Hn…what for?"

"For leaving. For causing all of this. For being born."

Naruto said the last part as a whisper, but Sasuke still heard it. The phrase seemed to trigger something within the raven and his eyes widened.

"Naruto…tell me why you left."

It was an order and left no room for the blonde to agrue. Naurto heard that, heard the desperation, heard the need in Sasuke's voice.

"I…couldn't handle it anymore. I couldn't handle the rocks through my windows, the paint on my walls. I wasn't going to put up with any more taunts or beatings from the villagers." Tears began rolling down his cheeks. "I couldn't stand not being able to enter most of the village's shops and being charged extra at the shops I could go into. I just couldn't take the glares anymore!" Naruto paused, head hung low. "But…the thing that was the worst…was always being so weak. Never being able to protect my precious people. Knowing that I'd never be able to achieve my dream. Though, it seems that even leaving caused more harm. I'm so sorry."

Naruto was now sobbing uncontrollably, no longer able to hold his grief back. Sasuke stepped forward so that he stood right beside the blonde and, albeit akwardly, wrapped his arms around his crying friend.

"No, Naruto, it's me who is sorry. I'm sorry for not seeing what the villagers were doing to you, and for not noticing that you constantly wore a mask untill it was too late. But, most of all, I'm sorry for not telling you. Naruto, I…I love you."

Naruto's eyes widened as the room seemed to fill to the brim with tension in that single instant.

"Sasuke…I-"

But Naruto was cut off before he could say anymore by the door slamming open. Sasuke immediately jumped away from the blonde as they both turned to see a panting Jiriaya.

"N-naruto?"

The said boy managed a weak smile.

"H-hey, Jiriaya-sensei."

"Oh, my god! You're Jiraiya!? The legendary frog Sannin and author of Icha-Icha Paradise?! I love your books! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

It was only then that anyone noticed that Kin was awake. A look of pure horror took up residence on Naruto's face.

"Umm…Kin? How long have you been awake?"

Kin smirked evilly.

"Long enough."

Blood rushed to his cheeks.

"Ugh…"

The groan brought everyone's attention to Iruka. Kin quickly stood and walked to the bed he was laying on.

"Hmm…Looks like it shouldn't be too much longer before he regains consciousness."

She placed a hand on an obviously worried Naruto's shoulder.

'Don't worry. There is nothing that spell can't heal. He will be fine.'

'I know, but…'

Kin looked out the small window that was in the room and gained a faraway look.

'Be strong, little one. You will need to be for what is to come.'

'I hate it when you go all goddess on me, you know.'

A smile flickered across Kin's features as she turned back to look at him.

'I know…'

Another groan from the man on the bed brought them back to situation at hand. Kin busied herself with preparations for Iruka to awaken.

"Jiriaya-san, I hate asking this of someone of your great stature, but could you please go get Tsunade-sama? I would like her here when Iruka-san awakens so that she may examine him."

Jiriaya nodded and drew himself up proudly.

"Well, at least SOMEONE around here knows a true genius when she sees one. When you put it like that, how can I refuse?"

He strode from the room with his head held high and boasting of his many accomplishments.

"Uchiha-san, I need you to get ice, asprin, and a glass of water. Iruka-san is going to have a wonderful headache when he awakens."

Sasuke nodded and left to do as he was asked, leaving just Naruto and Kin in the room. The blonde grasped Iruka's hand tightly.

"Don't worry, kit. He'll be fine, really."

Naruto's faint smile was a sad one.

"Your speech has improved a lot."

"I had a good teacher."

"Teacher of what?"

Tsunade entered the room, followed closely by Jiriaya.

"So fast! You were quicker than I expected! That you again for lowering yourself to do such a menial task as to act as a messenger."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the girl's obvious change of subject to avoid the question. She would have to deal with that later, but there were more important things to deal with at the moment. Iruka groaned and the Hokage rushed to his side, followed quickly by Kin.

"He's going to wake up soon but I ask you not to do anything until he does. I'm not sure how your chakra will react with my…technique."

Tsunade glared at her suspiciously.

"Once I have confirmed that Iruka-san is alright, you and I are going to be having a nice long talk."

Kin nodded.

"There will be some things I can't tell you, but I'll explain what I can."

Tsunade didn't seem to like the idea of having information withheld from her, but she consented…for now. Naruto ignored the two women as he held onto Iruka's hand. The man had been like a father to him. Suddenly, the fingers he clutched so desperately twitched.

"H-he just moved his fingers!"

It was at this time that Sasuke returned, just adding to the frenzied confusion that had sprung up at Naruto's shout. It quickly calmed down as kin took the supplies from Sasuke and set them on the bedside table. The Uchiha and Jiriaya had backed away from the bed to give the two women room to work and Kakashi and Sakura showed up, peeking in through the doorway. Naruto wasn't budging for anything. With another groan, Iruka's eyes blinked painfully open. His eyes were unfocussed and he seemed confused, which was understandable.

"Iruka-san, how are you feeling?"

His bleary eyes tried to focus on Kin.

"Wh…who are you?"

Kin smiled kindly at him.

"I'm a friend of Naruto's."

"Naruto?!"

Iruka tried to sit up, but Kin placed a hand on his shoulder to keep him down.

"Please, Iruka-san, don't try to move yet. My technique hasn't finished working yet. Naruto is here, don't worry."

She looked pointedly in Naruto's direction, allowing Iruka to follow her gaze. Emotions of all kinds raged across the faces of both men.

"H-hey, Iruka-sensei…"

Naruto's voice was feeble, but it was probably the best he could manage in his current state. The tears that had been threatening to overflow from Iruka's eyes let loose, streaming down the man's face.

"Oh, thank God! Thank God you're alright! You're safe!"

Naruto grasped Iruka's hand tighter, struggling to hold back tears of his own.

"You're an idiot, Iruka-sansei…worrying about me when you're the one stuck in the hospital…"

His voice was choked with unspoken emotion, but it was strong.

"What happened? I don't remember much…"

"I should hope not. You've been unconscious for a while, I'd say almost two years if my math is right."

"What?!"

Tsunade began recounting what happened while she gave Iruka the once over. Kin grabbed the pain killers and water and handed them to Iruka.

"Here. Take these. You may not feel it yet, but in a few minutes you're going to have a very nasty headache. It's better to take these now than to wait till later."

Iruka nodded and took the small pills.

"Well, he seems just fine now. It's amazing! I've never seen a technique like yours before, Kin-san. Nor one nearly as effective,"

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

Kin bowed her head to the Hokage, already knowing what would come next.

"Would you mind coming to speak with me in my office? There is much I would like to discuss with you."

Though she phrased it as a question, Tsunade's tone clearly stated the refusal was not an option.

"Of course, Tsunade-sama. Why don't we talk while Naruto and Iruka are catching up?"

Tsunade smiled and strode from the room, feeling she'd won the battle. Kin caught Naruto's worried expression as she, too, turned to leave. She crossed the room and lowered her voice so that only Naruto could hear.

'Do not worry, little one. I will be fine.'

Naruto nodded and turned back to Iruka as Kin followed after Tsunade.


End file.
